Phnom Penh on display: 500 views of a city on the move

Phnom Penh, a city of a thousand faces, is preparing to reveal itself through the lenses of 500 photographers. Starting on 30 August 2025, the exhibition ‘Photography for Empowerment’ will display its visual stories in three iconic locations in the capital, offering a sensitive and multifaceted journey through its streets, its inhabitants and its symbols.

The result of a collaboration between the Phnom Penh Photography Collective (PPPC), the Cambodian Children's Fund (CCF) and the Kinin Collective, this unique project is much more than an artistic event: it is an encounter between generations, backgrounds and sensibilities.

Seasoned professionals, anonymous enthusiasts and young people from the CCF educational programme shared the adventure of photographic walks, workshops and exchanges. Together, they sought to capture a city in the midst of change, where the old dialogues with the new and beauty nestles in the ordinary everyday.

‘This project goes beyond photography. It speaks of identity, memory and the changes experienced by those who walk these streets every day,’ says Shunsuke Miyatake, photographer and creative director of the PPPC, who initiated the project.

Three places, three worlds

The exhibition is spread across three distinct spaces, each offering a unique theme:

• Maloop – Eclectic Phnom Penh: a look at architecture and urban heritage, between colonial elegance and contemporary verticality.

• Kinin – Faces of Phnom Penh: a portrait gallery revealing human diversity, from street vendors to artists, from the elderly to children.

• Nesat – The pulse of Phnom Penh: a sensory immersion in the colours, textures and rhythms of everyday life.

Each location incorporates interactive formats, such as QR codes linked to online galleries, and offers prints for sale, with all proceeds going to the CCF's photo and media club to purchase equipment, fund printing and develop mentoring programmes for young people.

Art as a springboard

One of the most touching aspects of the initiative is undoubtedly the participation of young people from the CCF. Armed with cameras, they discovered their capital city in a different light, stopping at a market stall, a smile, or a building that has stood the test of time. ‘Our students learned to slow down, observe and look for meaning in the details,’ says Phorn Lea, educational project manager.

For some, the project was a revelation:

‘This is the first time I've taken part in an event like this. I'm nervous but also very happy,’ says Savet, a 16-year-old high school student, whose image of a street full of life will be displayed alongside photographs by international artists.

One city, shared stories

Through these 500 photographs, a multifaceted Phnom Penh emerges: one of noisy markets, silent temples and the bright faces of young people searching for a future. The exhibition becomes a common language, a space where every gaze counts and every image opens up a dialogue.

By bringing together the rigour of professionals, the boldness of amateurs and the freshness of youthful perspectives, ‘Photography for Empowerment’ stands as an ode to the creative resilience of a city that is both vulnerable and vibrant.

The official opening will take place on Saturday 30 August at 6pm at the Maloop restaurant, followed by two months of cross-exhibitions. More than just photographs, this is an invitation to rediscover Phnom Penh, intimate and universal, through the eyes of those who live and dream it.